Hand trucks



Dec. 2, 1958 R. H. STONE ETAL HAND TRUCKS Filed Jan. 14, 1957 INVENTORS RICHARD H. STONE RONALD F. SMITH PATTORNEY HAND TRUCKS Richard H. Stone, Lathrop Village, and Ronald F. v

Smith, Birmingham, Mich.

Application January 14, 1957, Serial No. 633,966

2 Claims. (Cl. 280-3339) This invention relates to hand trucks and table attachments for such trucks.

An object of the invention is to provide a hand truck with a low-level platform mounted on caster wheels, and having secured to its ends a pair of similar upstanding handle members of an approximate inverted U form and so bent that, upon stacking two or more such trucks one on another, said members will assume a nested relation resisting their separation and hence afiording the stack a considerable stability.

Another object is to adapt the lower portions of the described handle members to interengage upon stacking the trucks, and to thus resist relative lateral shifting of the trucks, and to resist relative endwise shifting by interengaging the upper portions of said members.

Another object is -to secure the lower end portions of a handle member of the described shape to and beneath the load-receiving platform and to so bend such portions as to resist lateral flexure or twisting of said member.

Another object is to provide a table top for bridging across the described handle members, and to adapt'the table top to be readily clamped to or released from the handle members.

These and various other objects are attained by the construction hereinafter described and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of several of the improvide trucks stacked one upon another.

Fig. 2 is a bottom view ofone of the trucks.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of one of the trucks with a table top applied. 1

Fig. 4 is a bottom view of the table top.

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 5-5 of Fig. 4 of a means for clamping-the table top in its use position.

In these views, the reference character 1 designates an elongated substantially rectangular platform comprised of any suitable sheet material and elevated a few inches above any supporting surface by four caster wheels 2 attached to and beneath the platform corners. Secured to the platform ends is a pair of duplicate upstanding handle members 3 of an approximate inverted U form, whereby there is disposed at the upper end of each such member a cross bar 4 serving as a hand-grip. The lower end portions 5 of each handle member are bent to extend horizontally beneath the platform and are secured to the latter by studs 6 or the like. Preferably the portions 5 of each member 3 have divergent ends, as best; appears in Fig. 2, adding materially to the resistance ofiered to any tendency of said members to twist or flex in response to any forces laterally applied to the cross bars 4. The upstanding portions of each handle member are adequately spaced from the corresponding platform to afford ample clear- 2. ance from overlying platforms, when a stack is formed, as Fig. 1 exemplifies.

To provide for a nesting of corresponding handle members when a number of the trucks are stacked, the two uprights of each member have a'material upward 'divergency, whereby their lower portions will lie substantially ina vertical plane transverse to the stacked trucks. Consequently there will be a powerful resistance to' any lateralshifting of any truck from its centered position on. an underlying truck. Approximately midway of their height, the handlemembers are. similarly slightly bent at points 7 to slightly diverge such members above such points. This adapts the upper portions of corresponding members to nest one within another when the trucks are stacked, strongly resisting endwise shifting of any truck from the vertical axis of the stack. The arrangement is such that trucks may be stacked almost ceiling high, if desired, without risk of collapse.

The construction illustrated by Figs. 3 and 4 secures an additional utility from the described type of truck. Thus there may be provided a rectangular table top 8 materially longer than the platform 1 and hence adapted to bridge and terminally seat on the cross bars 4. Cleats 9 extend along the end margins of the top 8- therebeneath, being thus so spaced as to straddle the cross bars.' Pivoted upon and beneath said top and suitably spaced from said cleats are a pair of arcuate eccentrically mounted clamping elements 10, each having a short lever arm 10a. When the minimum radius of the elements 10 confronts the cleats, it is easily feasible to position the table top so that its cleats straddle the cross bars. Upon then rotating the clamping elements, they will press the cross bars firmly against the cleats, thus firmly maintaining the applied position of the top. With the latter in place, the truck is double-decked to store or carry merchandise or may serve the usual purposes of a table.

The described truck is particularly useful in stores or factories to store or transport merchandise or assembly parts or finished products. In transportation terminals, the truck may carry luggage and in hospitals it may be used in bringing meals to patients. In these or other uses, the stacking feature results in highly desirable economy of storage space.

It will be noted that the handle members may assist in holding a load on the platform as well as for propul' sion purposes.

What we claim is:

1. A hand truck comprising a platform, wheels disposed beneath and supporting the platform and inwardly spaced from its lateral margins, whereby the wheels of one truck may seat on the platform of an underlying truck in stacking the trucks, a pair of handle members rigidly upstanding from opposite ends of the platform and each having an approximate inverted U-shape, the upstanding portion of each handle member being spaced from the corresponding platform to afford clearance from the overlying platform when one of the trucks is stacked on another, each handle member forming a hand grip at its upper end due to said inverted U-shape, the upper portions of the. two handle members diverging materially from each other, and the uprights of each handle member diverging materially from each other in extending upwardly, whereby said handle members of an upper truck may nest within such members of a lower truck in stacking such trucks, and the trucks are thus restrained from endwise or sidewise' relative shifting.

2. A hand truck comprising a wheeled platform and a pair of handle members rigidly upstanding from oppo'sige ends of ,.th e platform and each having an app'r'iiimate inverted U-shape, such members including a pair of cross bars elevated by such members and forming hand grips, eachhandl e member having its lower ends bent to extend beneath and engage the platform, each such member being" bentat thfrhidpo'rtiori or its uprights to upwardly diverge the uppenportions of suclrj'menibers, and' t he uprights of eaeh inenlber being materially diverged in extending upwardly, fwhereby upon Stacking several of the trucks one on another, 9

their corresponding handle members are nested to resist relative endwise or lateral shifting of the trucks.

R er ne it 'd in he file/0f hi Pate UNITED STATES PATENTS 139,673 Henblein June 10, 1873 .Verplanek Aug. 17,

Warlick Nov. 2, Geralds Dec. 12, Tackenberg-u. Oct. 23, Messier July 15, Axtell et a]. Jan. 3, Spears Mar. 13,

FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain May 23, 

